Front-wheel driving mechanism



THOMAS F. LEDEETEY'LY FRONT- Grignal application led February 36, 19539r ber 1.3, 1552i.

fo all/whom tm/1y concern Be itknown that l., THoMAs i7. Tian. a citizenof the lnited States. residing at Columbus. in the countyv oi vlusc eeand State of Georgia, have invented new and useful lniprovements inFrontslllheei lriving Mechai'iisi'n. of which the 'following isspecification.

rlhis invention relates to a four-wheel drive mechanism Ytor motorvehicles of the type disclosefl in my co-pending' application, Seriallo. 359.0955. tiled FebruaryY 1G, 1920. of which this` application is adivision.

rlille subject matter or this invention lates more particularlv to thedriving mechanism lor the lront ,vl'ieels. and has as object theprovisioiir ot an. extremely simple arrangement tor txansn'iittinefpower to these wheels.

In a prior Patent7 No. 17 126. granted to ine, there is shown asnecil'ic form 'oit front wheel drive construction, in which the troutwheel is located within a yoke pivotallv connected to the iront axletand is supported entirely Mtv its drive sha'lit. .iin olriect ol thisinventioii is to support the `lironty Vwheels entirely 'l'roni the axle.and.y more specifically. upon spindles pivotal@v coi'iuectml to theaxis. thus taking trom the drive shafts the weight ol the vehicle.

Another 'illjwtt of the invention is to elinuiiate the jvokc extendingrover the 'iront wheels7 and to render the axle and wl Y..

spindle construction more compact, sigi'rly and durable.

lilith thc aliovo and other objects more specific nature in niind haveshown in the aecoinpan vingr drawings one forni of a device in which the'invention may oe einbodied`r and in these dra\\'in;s:--

Fig. l is a 'trout sectional elevational view ol' a portion ot a i'rontaxle, as much oi the wheel being shown as is necessary to propcrljYillustrate the i'lvention. and

Fig. a top plan view of that portion ol" the device shown in Fig. l.

Referring; to the drawings for a more da tailed del 'riptioin l1()indicates a -i'ront'axle havin;Y l'orzncd adjacent each end an integralgear l'iousiug.r 11 and a pair ot spaced upwardly and. downwardlyextending arrns 12. The extremities of each arm are forked. as indicatedat 13, to 'provide spaced. ears which receive between them and are.pivotallv connected to the ends of mine Les; l

"il N? i BUS, GE.,GL/fi.

name2/r. I

ivided and this application led @etospindle 153y supporting the wheel16. The wheel is provided suing;

unted in hearings` 21, 22 in the axle is shaft Q3 having a joint 9A inalinewith the pivotal connections between spindle and axle. rl`he shaftextends though the spindle and a squared or otherwise singularly shapedend fitting into the huh cap socket. lievel 25 is lixedly mounted upon.the al rit within` .hiulsii'igg 11. and.' meshes with a hei/ul 27 upon ash 29, fwhich transl. s power trom the d1l Yrential niechanisi'n setforth in my (co-pending application above referred to. The ,Gears 2G and27 are venclosed within the housing hy a front cap late 529 holted tothe aille as at Il() and a r hearing plate 3l provided. with a centralhearing 32 for the shait The stuh .sh-att jointl 24C is }'ize.t'eialilyenclosed within a housing adapted to contain a suitable lul'iricant. Asuitable housingr is shown in the drawings and comprises a pair ot'substantially l'ienlisi'iherical sections 33. 3l. the latter sectionhaving" a Hannie 35 to which is secured. 'oy rneans of bolts fill) anextension section 34 overlying the section l. rThe section. l-lis formedon or su tahliY secured to arms 1# and the section -ll is secured withina lla 355 upon the axle hy means ol a holt or screw 3f). will he noted,upon an i nspection ot the views, that the sides of the extensionsections le-f cut away so as to permit turning `movement oic the wheelspindle.

liroin the above description itI will he seen, that 'the 'front w icelsare entirely supported by the spindles 1:3' which are pivntally securedto the axles hy the spaced arn'is 14; and the arms heinggr located insuhstantially the same ve ical plane, will readily support the weinA otthe' vehicle. lllhen il; desired to irreali the driving connectionsl letween the stub shafts 'the huh caps it is merely necessary to replacethe hub caps 19 by others which are not provided witl soci/ets of a:shape which will cooperate wi the ends of the stub shafts. lt shouldrther he, observed that both the Stub shaft joint and the gears areenthe usual huh 17 niiuinted upon hear-v tirely enclosed Within thehousing, which will maintain lubricants for considerable periods thuspreserving the jointJ and gears against Wear.

I claim:

In a four-Wheel drive, front Wheels, hollow Wheel spindles upon whichthe wheels are supported, a pair of spaced arms at the inner end of eachspindle, an axle having adjacent each end an integral closed gearhousing, a removable cap for each housing, a pair of spaced arms at eachend of the axle, each arm being pivotaily connected to ay spindle arm,stub shafts journalled in the ends oli' said axle and extending throughthe spindles, each shaft having,r a gear thereon lin one of saidhousings and ali-lexible joint located between the pivotal connection ofthe aile and spindle arms, said shafts htaving angular outer ends, andmeans upon the Wheels 'having sockets to receive the ends of said shaftsand establish driving connection between the shafts and the Wheels.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto setl my hand.

THOMAS l". LEDBETTER.

